More people engage in exercising as a leisure activity than any other type of activity. Portable exercise devices have become more popular because they are generally inexpensive to manufacture and are readily transportable so that a regular program of physical fitness can be maintained.
One simple portable exercise device consists of a bar with a single elastic member three or four feet long and extending between the two ends so that a person could hold the bar and push down on the rope with his feet. A variation of this device consists of an elastic rope with two handles at the ends of the rope replacing the bar.
The resistance this type of device is able to provide is variable only by extending the body part being exercised through, and perhaps beyond, what may be the desired range of motion. For example, the resistive force that an elastic cord provides through a fixed range of motion is predetermined. Such devices eventually fail to challenge a user as the user's strength increases. Materials such as solid rubber may provide so much resistance that that they become difficult to stretch through the desired range of motion, and thus are not adaptable for use by a wide variety of users with different strengths and needs for exercise. Other exercise devices enable an adjustable level of resistance, but typically are associated with a commensurate increase in cost and complexity. Such devices may also require electrical power and occupy additional space. Moreover, the devices may also require electrical power and are hazardous.
Another potential problem associated with this device is that it is difficult to eliminate the danger of injury from a handle that has broken off from the elastic rope during use. In particular, difficulty exists in existing exercise devices in coupling the elastic member to the handles. In many of these types of devices, the mechanical links between the elastic member and the handles are subjected to a great deal of tensile force, which may be applied to the elastic member where it directly contacts the handles.
Thus, it is desirable to have an exercise device that is easily reconfigurable to enable different exercises and/or a selection of resistive force.
It is further desirable to reduce the likelihood of injury mentioned above by minimizing the possibility of failure of the mechanical link between the elastic member and more rigid components through a more secure connection than previously employed in the art.